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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28593867">Don't anger the Fifth Fleet CO with cowardice</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shackett74/pseuds/Shackett74'>Shackett74</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Mass Effect Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alliance navy, Fifth Fleet, Gen, Tactical considerations, battle of the citadel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 06:54:34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,898</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28593867</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shackett74/pseuds/Shackett74</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Relaxing with some Navy-friends, XO Okafor recalls the one time he saw his CO get angry - and showed it.<br/>"Because Adamu remembered it like yesterday. Not the combat itself - his XO and he had seen their fair share of that - but the eerie, unknown and downright scary black monster that was the Sovereign. He didn't want to tell his friends about that though. </p><p>A Reaper simply didn't make sense unless they had seen it themselves."</p><p>To BioWare, who of course already owns this.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Don't anger the Fifth Fleet CO with cowardice</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Experimenting with an idea of mine, centering of potential flaws of the remarkable character of Hackett.<br/>He does appear like a quite grounded, aggreeable person, albeit tough too when warranted. But even he can't be without flaws, right?..</p><p>Hopefully the retelling with the friends-narrative won't get confusing.<br/>Told from Adamu Okafor's POV, First Officer to Fifth Fleet CO Steven Hackett (and my OC).</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Oh, c'mon, not even the legendary Admiral Hackett is without flaws!" </p><p>"Almost, Takida. Almost," Adamu Okafor, First officer to Admiral Hackett, chuckled softly.</p><p>Four long-time friends, all Alliance officers, shared a far and few between reunion at Okafor's place. After several merry rounds of neat whiskey they were as cheerful as free-spoken. </p><p>The truth was of course that even Steven Hackett had imperfections, but from what Adamu had seen through the years, those were actually quite few.</p><p>"Nah, don't believe that," Staff Lieutenant Katsuo Takida slurred out his stubborn proclamation and rolled his eyes knowingly to the assembled friends. Who, all three, slumped in varied, relaxing positions among Adamu's armchairs.</p><p>"You're just envious that Admiral Singh can't compare with the Fleet Admiral's genius, aren't you?" the outspoken First Fleet Captain Henry Johnson jested. And much to the other's rowdy delight and Takida's flustered objection.</p><p>"But I <em>can</em> tell you of the one and only time I've seen him straight out pissed off," Adamu added, voice raised above the other to intervene before the usual competitive banter could blow out of proportion.</p><p>"It happened a year ago now, during the Citadel battle." he paused for a moment, sifting through partially unsettling memories and took a careful sip of a new Japanese whiskey that Takida had been kind enough to bring along. Burning surprisingly pleasant in his throat Adamu concluded that the hilarious name of 'Kamikaze' perhaps wasn't the best choice before he cleared his throat and began telling the story.</p><p>"Don't know if you knew this but the SSV Normandy was formally under Fifth Fleet command back then, and it's new commander, the N7 Spectre Jane Shepard had been operating mostly independent while searching for the rogue Spectre, Saren Arterius."</p><p>The three friends nodded, fascinated to get an inside view on the dramatic events that had ended up decimating the Fifth fleet heavily.</p><p>"The Normandy had also made missions for the Fifth fleet and the HighCom, thus the Admiral was careful to keep tabs at both the whereabouts of the ship as on how the development with Arterius unfolded. </p><p>Long story short, Hackett suspected a crisis might be under way and far-sighted he had mobilized the majority of the fleet to a stand-by when the Normandy suddenly showed up in Arcturus stream - without its Captain - and alerting everyone to what was going on at the closed Citadel.</p><p>We arrived behind both fleets and cool-headed Hackett calculated the strategic and tactical pro et contra in mere moments, before he kept us on stand by expressionless with arms behind his back as usual.---"</p><p>Adamu shook his head, unsure at what really - the Admiral's cunning coolness <em>or</em> his ability to shove everything else away except for the task at hand.</p><p>"---as if no desperate battle took place half an AU away, and despite the desperate pleas for help from the Citadel fleet in the background. It can't have been for more than a minute but it felt like forever, Adamu finished pensively."</p><p>"But what the hell for? Why not attack first thing while you had the chance and upper hand?!"<br/>Before Adamu could reply the third of them, the taciturn Captain James Adams did it for him, half-full glass of Bourbon in hand.</p><p>"Usually that would be the most tactical sound decision. But this fight also comprised of a first encounter with an immensely powerful new opponent, so my guess is that Hackett followed the maxim 'a commander <em>on</em> the battlefield trumps echelon command that ain't' in this situation. He waited to hear from Commander Shepard - am I right?"</p><p>Adamu nodded and smiled warmly but solemnly at the friend. James Adams had always been the wisest among them. </p><p>"That's one hell of a risk to take all the same," Johnson muttered thoughtfully and huffed into his glass before he took a mouthful of the brass colored, liquid - a Laphroaig Select.</p><p>"I heard this Sovereign looked like a giant space shrimp." The others rolled their eyes at Takida who couldn't resist being the buffoon among them once more.</p><p>"Just sayin'," he retorted defensively and jutted out his hands. Thankfully his glass was empty.</p><p>"The Admiral knew that Commander Shepard likely sat on important intel and it wasn't until we heard from Shepard that he acted.<br/>Important is that the Admiral called out to the fleet before we engaged the enemy ordering the majority of our cruisers to join in at the attack on the Sovereign, while three battle groups, assisted the remaining turians and asari outside the Citadel. Hackett <em>also</em> warned us it would be some tight maneuvering and that it would expose us. </p><p>Then he ordered us straight for that massive, godforsaken Reaper ship. Suppose that's part of why he is respected, he rarely let others do his fighting. But anyway, we fired the first shots at it, and it barely made a dent on that...thing."</p><p>Adamu remembered it like yesterday, not the combat itself - his CO and he had seen their fair share of that - but the eerie, downright scary, black monster that was the Reaper Sovereign. </p><p>"I'll spare you the details but let's just say that this Reaper put up a hell of a fight even when attached to the Citadel."</p><p>"So we've heard," Johnson said seriously as they saw their friend's tall, lanky body shudder involuntary.</p><p>"It took us down one after another, it was simply pure luck we didn't get hit. And then one of our Captain's made the grave mistake to call for an overall retreat - on <em>AllCom</em>..."</p><p>Flabbergasted surprise over Captain Brecht's audacity shone on all their faces, peering wide-eyed at him and no doubt immensely curious how his CO had handled <em>that</em>.</p><p>"<em>I</em> saw no visible reaction at that time as Hackett was focused on the battle and Commander Shepard's fight. He just belayed that order, despite the Fifth's high casualties. 'Negative." he called out. 'Take that monster down no matter the cost.'<br/>It was first when he ordered a DR on Captain Brecht's <em>Lissabon</em>, that I saw the grim look in his eyes and realized he was indeed furious. I assume he already suspected the Lissabon wasn't too damaged and simply could have fallen back to a more defensive position."</p><p>Adamu tipped his glass in his friends direction. "You know that's every Captains right."</p><p>They nodded.</p><p>"As laconic as the Admiral may be at times, I've learned that if there is something Hackett detest, except falseness, it's lack of courage when it's warranted."</p><p>A thoughtful silence fell over them at that, all pondering what had been told and perhaps searching for their own answers at the bottom of their glass. Of a stern Admiral or a Reaper they still knew very little about, of a hero and N7 that weeks after this decisive victory would be dead above Alchera.<br/>Then one by one they held up their glasses in a silent toast and drank to courage - the Admiral's as much as all the Fifth fleet's and Commander Shepard's.</p><p>They looked up at him one after another but it took a while before Adamu realized they waited for him to continue, to end the story.</p><p>"We took heavy casualties that day, there's no way around that truth. Tactically it was a nightmare even with all our firepower and a dreadnought! That Reaper main gun was the worst I'd ever experienced and tore through our ships with every goddamn shot that hit us. And yet the Admiral stood there cool-headed, eyes darting over the MDHD and intel, no sign of fear despite it being damn close that we had been fired upon too. </p><p>All that said, it <em>was</em> the correct decision strategically, no doubt about it gentlemen. Otherwise we might not sit here tonight." There were things he knew now as the Fleet Admiral's closest co worker, that he couldn't mention to his friends. They simply had to take his word for it.</p><p> And they did, it seemed. "I just hate strategy,"Adams muttered emphatically under his breath.</p><p>"Indeed", Adamu replied quickly. And he said nothing of his private suspicion that the Admiral possibly also had held back from aiding the Council because of their earlier, quite nonchalant treatment of the commanders Anderson and Shepard. By holding back their assistence just a little, Hackett had made it clear to the Council that humanity had come to stop a <em>galactic</em> threat. Not to primarily save the Council's asses.</p><p>"But afterward," he said aloud instead, shaking his head at yet another vivid memory. "<em>Oh my</em>... the Admiral ordered DR's for the fleet and marched directly down to the shuttle bay and headed over to the SSV Lissabon. He showed Captain Brecht the respect by meeting him in person, but I doubt Brecht liked that better. Don't think I ever seen such cold ice catching fire like in the Admiral's eyes as he left for the Lissabon."</p><p>"Do you know what happened there?, Takida asked in as much breathless awe as from curiousity.</p><p>"Not exactly, only that Hackett came back quickly enough, and announced that the SSV Lissabon had a new Captain..."<br/><br/>They stared speechless at him, astonishment written all over their faces.</p><p>"Wasn't that a bit...harsh?" Johnson asked tentatively, the captain in him a tad indecisive on who to support.</p><p>"Perhaps, but it turned out the Lissabon wasn't severely damaged. When it's CO saw all the damage that heinous creature inflicted on us, he lost his cool completely. And you know it isn't the proper conduct of a commanding officer in the Alliance Navy. Certainly not by asking for retreat over all-fleet channel."</p><p>Adamu shrugged casually.<br/>One year later he didn't know whether to smile at or be horrified by his CO's cold impassiveness or his swift dealing with Captain Brecht.</p><p>Then a thoughtful Adams filled in with his summary, "Well, the Fifth <em>are</em> known to be stubborn bad asses in battle."</p><p>"Exactly, but so are the First." Adamu reciproked. "So do you know why we are the Navy's foremost fleet?" He was definitely sure his friends would protest fiercely at that, but strangely enough they remained quiet.</p><p>"Because you're such 'bad asses'?" Takida instead jested dryly.</p><p>"No, not really. It's because we <em>know</em> the Admiral has the strategic skill to get us out victorious, and that he has earned our trust many times over long before he became Admiral." </p><p>Johnson picked up on the remark and pointed knowingly with a finger at no one in particular. "I've heard he risked his life to save others in the First Contact War. And that's how he got his scar, by the way." </p><p>"Nope. I've heard he got his scar as a kid on the streets of Buenos Aires!" Adams said as confidently.</p><p>Adamu just smiled knowingly at them, he knew but would reveal nothing. Hackett used that enigmatic scar as a gimmick to perfect his own leadership badassery.</p><p>"But anyway lads," he replied quickly before they could start interrogate him. "you've got two examples now, so let's end this topic."</p><p>Takida summarized by blurting out.</p><p>"Don't piss the Admiral off with cowardice!"</p><p>They chuckled.</p><p>"Hell yeah, let's drink to that," Johnson exclaimed.</p><p>"And to the fallen", added a thoughtful Adams.</p><p>And so they did.<br/>To the dozen Alliance cruisers and two thousand four hundred fallen crew-mates, to the brave turians who sacrificed themselves and got smashed by the incoming Sovereign. And to a dead hero and N7.</p>
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